Economics and similar, for the sleep-deprived

A subtle change has been made to the comments links, so they no longer pop up. Does this in any way help with the problem about comments not appearing on permalinked posts, readers?

Update: seemingly not

Update: Oh yeah!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Big news for fans of Denis MacShane!!!

I can't believe I missed this one. Denis MacShane is going to be the new Chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism!!!!! Wow, it's extraordinary. To think that only a few months ago people had written MacShane off as a has-been-never-was New Labour rentagob with no other purpose than to show up on graveyard slot radio mouthing party loyalist talking points in the hope of getting his job back. And now here he is, taking over as CHAIRMAN (ie, in charge of the whole thing) of Steven Pollard's second most important thinktank, with Winston "Funky Broadway" Pickett as his sidekick (etc etc, all these jokes used before).

MacShane has immediately leapt into the new role, which is every bit as important to him as a pub in Newcastle with a chalkboard sign up promising free shots for women who showed their breasts[1]. His first act as Chairman appears to be to promise that the big report which was meant to be delivered last September will be "published in the spring". Fuck you very much, btw, to the Department of Communities and Local Government inquiries office, which has steadfastly not answered a single one of my inquiries about this report.

I look forward to a new era of dynamism at EISCA. Iain Duncan Smith is now on the advisory board so things are clearly stepping up a gear.

[1] Victory!. Note that the campaign was actually spearheaded by MacShane's daughter, who's a student at the university there. This holds out the tantalising prospect that we are seeing the birth of a MacShane political dynasty.